The immune system is made up of a range of systems and cells that protect the body from invading bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It essentially functions to stop the entry of foreign organisms into the body, thus prevent illness. In today’s stressful world many of us are neglecting their health and our immune systems are suffering. A weak immune system makes the body vulnerable to new strains of microbals, causing one to become sick. Physical and emotional stress suppresse immunity and decrease our resistance to various forms of infections.

IMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT GUIDE

It is important to build your body’s immunity in order to bolster its ability to fight off illness and disease. Certain types of supplements can strengthen the immune system and help to maintain a strong and vital body. Here's a list of the top supplement types people should use to produce the best results:

Vitamins C, vitamin D, and zinc have received particular attention in recent years as these nutrients have been shown to a crucial effect on the immune response. Studies shown that supplementation with these nutrients may enhance immunity.

At least 80% of the overall immune system actually resides in the area of the digestive system. Thus probiotic supplements provide us many health benefits and are a great way to boost the immune system and keep us healthy.

L-GLUTAMINE

Glutamine supplementation may also help boost the immune system by being one of the building blocks for the body’s most powerful anti-oxidant, glutathione and an important fuel for some key cells of the immune system.

WHEY PROTEIN

Whey Proteins contain bioactive peptides that may improve the function of the immune system by increasing the levels of glutathione in the body. Glutathione is the centerpiece of the body’s antioxidant defense system, protects cells against free radical damage, toxins, and infection.

Vitamin C has been widely researched as the most effective vitamin for boosting the immune system. Supplementation with vitamin C improves components of the human immune system such as antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities, lymphocyte proliferation, and delayed-type hypersensitivity, it raises the number of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces and disallows the entry of viruses and contributes to maintaining the redox integrity of cells and thereby protects them against reactive oxygen species. A large number of researches show that adequate intakes of vitamin C ameliorate symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections including the common cold, reduce the incidence and improve the outcome of pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea infections.

Vitamin D is a potent immune system modulator. There are considerable scientific evidences that vitamin D has a variety of effects on immune system function, which may enhance immunity. Studies indicate that adequate vitamin D intake effectively boosts the immune system and fights off the onset of a variety of viral infections including the flu. In a representative study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine the researchers found that people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels were 40 percent more likely to have reported a recent infection, compared with those who had the highest levels.

Zinc plays important roles in immune function and the modulation of host resistance to infectious agents, reducing the risk, severity, and duration of infectious diseases. Zinc is required for the synthesis of over seventy enzymes in the body, including those that have specific immune roles. Zinc deficiency has shown to impair cellular mediators of innate immunity such as phagocytosis, natural killer cell activity, and the generation of oxidative burst.

Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal supplement, which is recognised to boost the immune system and helps protect against colds and viral infections. Echinacea has long been used as a medical alternative to prevent and treat the common cold, flu, and upper respiratory tract infections; to enhance immune system function; and to treat systemic Candida infections. Clinical studies show that Echinacea extracts improve white blood cell count, lessens the symptoms of a cold and flu, helps minimize the frequency of getting flu and other viral infections. Taking Echinacea at the first sign of a cold appears to shorten its duration and ease its symptoms by some 10 to 40 percent, according to clinical trials. A study done with over 200 children found that the group who took Echinacea, along had fewer colds and, when they did get sick, had fewer days of fever.

Probiotics are live microbial organisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are naturally present in the in the human gut. They are also called friendly bacteria or good bacteria that are essential to our health. At least 80% of the overall immune system actually resides in the area of the digestive system, and nearly 80% of all degenerative diseases are caused by an imbalance in the digestive system. Probiotic supplements can enhances health by restore and maintain the balance of intestinal flora, help the digestion and absorption of the food you eat, and boost your immune system.

In traditional medicine cordyceps sinesis has been used for thousands of years to help improve lung functioning, strengthen the immune system, make the body stronger and build up its defenses from infectious contagions and studies of late have proven that they are powerful immune system enhancers. Cordyceps helps the development of immunity cells like macrophages, lymphocytes, T helper cells and interleukin within the body and increases the activity of natural killer cells, our body's first line of defense against infections and illness.

Uncaria tomentosa, commonly known as cat's claw contains unique alkaloids that seem to enhance the immune system, increase the ability of white blood cells to engulf and digest harmful micro-organisms and foreign matter. Cat's claw has also been shown to increase the production of leukocytes and specifically T4 lymphocytes, and thus blocking the manifestation of many viral illnesses.

Rhodiola rosea is a powerful immune enhancing anti-stress and an antifatigue herb. Clinical studies show that Rhodiola rosea has anticancer, antioxidant and immune system enhancing effects. Rhodiola rosea works by improving T-cell immunity, increasing the body's resistance to toxins that may accumulate when an infection develops. It also stimulates one of the most important type of immune cells (natural killer cells) that seek and destroy the infected cells on our bodies and prevents the suppression of B-cell immunity that can occur during stress.

Green tea has multiple health benefits, helping to strengthen the immune system and cleansing the body from harmful and toxic substances. Studies show that green tea may considerably support immune health and may be beneficial for immune health in many ways. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Because immunity is battled at the cellular level, antioxidants play a key role. EGCG also helps to inhibit the influenza virus from replicating and other substance found in green tea exhibitanti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Researches show that green tea consumers had an enhanced ability to fight common colds and flu because of an increase in a specific type of immune cells known as interferon gamma T cells. In addition, tea polysaccharides, one of the main components in green tea, stimulate the production of cytokines in the bone marrow. Cytokines are used in cellular communication and are critical to the body's immune response to pathogens.

Glutamine plays a critical role in the function of our immune system. Glutamine is an important fuel for some key cells of the immune system, and may also help boost the immune system by being one of the building blocks for the body's most powerful anti-oxidant, glutathione. Both the plasma concentration of glutamine and the functional ability of immune cells in the blood are decreased after prolonged, exhaustive exercise. For bodybuilders and other athletes, the need for glutamine increases due to the added stress to the body. Without adequate levels of L glutamine stores in the body during this stress, susceptibility to illnesses increases. Glutamine supplements may restore depleted glutamine levels in the body, which would boost the immune system and consequently, help prevent you from getting sick.

A placebo-controlled study showed that supplementation with 5 grams of L-glutamine after training resulted in a significantly lower incidence of infections (19 %) compared to the placebo group (51 %). Another study, demonstrated that 81 % of athletes taking glutamine had no subsequent infection during the study period, compared to 49 % in the placebo group.

Whey Proteins help maintain a healthy immune system by increasing the levels of glutathione in the body. Glutathione is the centerpiece of the body’s antioxidant defense system, protects cells against free radical damage, pollution, toxins, and infection. Glutathione levels are typically depressed in individuals with cancer, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome and also decrease after prolonged, exhaustive exercise. Whey protein supplementation helps keep athletes healthy and strong to perform their best. In a study following two weeks of supplementation with whey proteins, plasma glutathione levels increased in one group by 44% while the difference in the second group did not reach significance.